M&S Lakeside Thurrock

We are a voluntary run community Hub and Library, offering a Community Pantry and Community Fridge. We also provide free school uniform, school shoes/plimsols/trainers and winter coats for all ages. Community Living Room with free refreshments, an opportunity for people to meet, share, laugh and look out for one another. Weekly Art Group, Citizen Advice Bureau Drop-in, Housing Surgery and Family School Holiday activities.

The Hub works in partnership with Hub volunteers, the local Community Forum, Aveley Family Hub and primary and secondary schools in Aveley, to provide the residents of Aveley with a free school uniform rack, a free Community Fridge/Freezer and a free Community Pantry. The Community Groups have recently come together to raise money to provide a bag of ingredients to families, once a week, to cook a healthy meal from scratch for only £2.00 a bag. The bag also includes a recipe card. The ingredients supplied are enough to feed a family of four. The ingredients, which cost on average £2.00 plus per bag, are currently purchased using the money that the community groups have raised. The £2.00 that is taken for each bag goes straight back into the fundraising pot to continue the food bag project for as long as it is needed. There is no profit made on the sale of the food bags. The community groups promote the above projects to agencies who visit the Hub, for example, Financial Inclusion Officers, Local Area Co-ordinators, Community Led Support, Job Centre Plus, local schools and Family Hubs so that those most in need of support can be signposted to the Hub for a food bag. At the same time, they are also given information regarding Hub activities for example physical activity groups, Adult Learning and volunteer opportunities, Lunch Club, Craft Group, Board Games Club and parent and toddler groups, which look to decrease social isolation. We are hoping this project will also reduce food waste and encourage people to enjoy 'cooking from scratch' using fresh ingredients. The Hub has a not for profit Coffee and Snack Bar run by the volunteers. We will continue to hold fund raising events, however we would welcome any support we can get from local businesses with the projects linked to the cost of living that we are providing to keep them going as long as we can, especially over the winter period to support our residents. Recently the Hub volunteers put on a free 2 course meal and an entertainer for families identified by our local schools and Aveley Family Hub in the school half term and we hope to be successful in securing funding to do this in each of the school holidays with different families each time, to support with Holiday Hunger and Food Insecurity. We have also applied for funding to enable the Hub volunteers to provide a 'Warm Space' in the winter where the Coffee and Snack Bar offers offers a free hot drink and a meal for £1.00 once a week. Any food donations from supporters of Neighbourly will be used to restock our Community Pantry and Fridge Freezer. Any monies donated will be used to purchase ingredients for the food bags.

Building communities and strengthening families